The Botany of Iceland - 01.12.1945, Blaðsíða 11

THE VEGETATION OF CENTRAL ICELAND
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period or at any rate to visit the same places at intervals of some length
of time. My work should be estimated from this point of view. It is
principally descriptive. However, the definitions and descriptions of
the different plant communities may, of course, be the basis on which
later investigations can be founded.
I have no doubt that my paper bears witness to the isolation of its
author far from all colleagues and scientific libraries. During the whole
work I have had to do without the incitement resulting from intercourse
with other botanists. Conversations with one’s colleagues mostly give
one more insight into matters, bring up new problems, and make one
revise earlier standpoints. Thus I have often felt the want of a library,
though I have made myself acquainted, as far as possible, with the
most important papers which I thought might be of use to me. My
paper will therefore also bear evidence of having been written, and
the whole material on which it is based of having been treated, in leisure
hours left over from tiring teaching.
I wish to express my most cordial thanks to all who have helped me
in some way or other during my work. Thus, in the first place, the
management of Menningarsjóður íslands, who granted me subsidies
for all my journeys. Furthermore the Director of the Botanical Mu-
seum, Copenhagen, who afforded me working facilities at the Museum
in the summer of 1936, which enabled me to make far more com-
prehensive studies of the literature than would otherwise have been the
case. In particular mag. sc. Johs. Gröntved, librarian to the Museum,
has helped me in different ways in the identification and revision of
difficult plant species and supplied me with a number of data. To the
late Mr. P. J. Lund, teacher, I am indebted for the determination of
the mosses I collected. And last but not least I thank my travelling
companions for pleasant company during the four journeys, notably
Mr. Pálmi Hannesson, headmaster of the Grammar School at Rey-
kjavík. He encouraged me to make my first trip to the central high-
land and thus to certain extent induced me to choose this subject of
investigation. We made the later journeys together, and I hope that
we may continue our co-operation in the years to come.
Finally I wish to point out that I do not in any way consider the
present paper as a conclusion of my investigation work in the central
highland of Iceland. If an opportunity offers, I intend to continue my
work, seeking new problems and filling the gaps that are still found
in this work.